(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Is this what too much winning looks like?
The New York Times reported Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee is no longer selling tickets for major donors to attend his Jan. 20 swearing-in and a slew of private events in DC.
Citing five unnamed people briefed on the conversations, the Times reported that committee has raised over $170 million and is quickly approaching $200 million. In 2017, by comparison, the committee raised $107 million.
“The haul is so big that some seven-figure donors have been placed on wait lists or have been told they probably will not receive V.I.P. tickets at all because the events are at capacity,” the Times reported.
“Prospective donors began to be told early this week that no more seats were available for certain events around Washington … The personalized donation link that fund-raisers had circulated to their networks of major contributors no longer worked on Tuesday and Wednesday,” the Times added.
“The packages offered to corporate and individual donors had originally been marketed as available through Friday, but they ended early given the extraordinary demand.”
According to the Times, some donors are offering donations as high as $1 million without receiving anything in return.
“Seats at the inaugural address, tickets to the ritzy balls or access to other events are typically a major part of why major donors cut checks. Inaugural events are a key time for the lobbying industry, and they draw donations from corporations and wealthy donors eager to gain influence or make amends with a new administration,” the newspaper explained.
The Times noted that the major uptick in donations marks a cultural shift ahead of Trump’s second term. Instead of trying to lead the “resistance” against Trump, the U.S. wealthy elite is embracing him in an attempt to curry favor—as demonstrated by Meta’s recent decision to get rid of its politically biased fact-checkers for Facebook and Instagram.
The Times reported that the leftover money from the inauguration festivities is likely to be spent on the eventual Trump presidential library.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
